Street names: acid, blotter, microdot, window pane
What is it?
LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is a potent
hallucinogen—that is, a drug that can alter
a person’s perception of reality and vividly
distort the senses. LSD was originally derived
from “ergot,” a fungus that grows on rye and
other grains.
The hallucinogenic effect of LSD was first
discovered in 1943 by Dr. Albert Hofmann,
a Swiss research chemist working at a
pharmaceutical company. Early studies
exploring potential use of the drug focused
on what insight it might offer into certain kinds
of mental illness. In the 1950s, intellectuals
such as Aldous Huxley experimented with the
drug for its alleged ability to induce a state of
“cosmic consciousness.”
LSD was the subject of numerous research
studies in the 1950s and early 1960s. These
studies included investigating the therapeutic
potential of the “psychedelic” experience in
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LSD
Do You Know...
treating chronic alcoholism and mental illness, and in
helping patients with terminal illnesses to accept death.
LSD also captured the attention of the CIA, who tested
its potential for use in psychological warfare.
How is LSD used?
Recreational use of LSD increased in the 1960s as its
“mind-expanding” qualities were promoted by influential
role models such as Harvard scientist Timothy Leary and
novelist Ken Kesey.
How does LSD make you feel?
Concerns about the possible long-term effects of LSD
led to new laws aimed at restricting its use. The sale,
possession for the purpose of selling, and distribution
of LSD were first made punishable in Canada in 1962.
LSD currently has no medical use, and is prohibited
under Schedule III of Canada’s Controlled Drugs and
Substances Act.
Where does LSD come from?
Most LSD is produced in illegal laboratories, with only
a very small amount legally manufactured for use in
research.
What does LSD look like?
Pure LSD is a white, crystalline powder that dissolves in
water. It is odourless and has a slightly bitter taste. An
effective dose of the pure drug is too small to see (20 to
80 micrograms). LSD is usually packaged in squares of
LSD-soaked paper (“blotters”), miniature powder pellets
(“microdots”) or gelatin chips (“window pane”). Blotters
are sometimes printed with illustrations of cartoon
characters.
Who uses LSD?
People who use LSD range from those seeking a high to
those seeking a mystical experience. The incidence of
LSD use reached its peak during the 1960s and 1970s,
and was closely associated with the “hippie” youth
culture of that time. Rates of LSD use dropped in the
1980s, rose again in the 1990s, and have since dropped
back down to low levels. The use of LSD among Ontario
students in grades 7 to 12 dropped from 6.8 per cent in
1999 to 1.8 per cent in 2009.
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LSD is usually taken by mouth and held on the tongue
or swallowed, but there have been reports of it being
inhaled or injected.
How LSD affects you depends on several things:
·· your age
·· how sensitive you are to the drug
·· how much you take and how often you take it
·· how long you’ve been taking it
·· the method you use to take the drug
·· the environment you’re in
·· whether or not you have certain pre-existing medical or
psychiatric conditions
·· whether you’ve taken any alcohol or other drugs (illegal,
prescription, over-the-counter or herbal).
The physical effects of LSD may include numbness, rapid
heartbeat, reduced co-ordination, chills, nausea, tremor,
weakness and dilated pupils. Sensations of gravity may
be altered, ranging from feeling weighted down, to
feeling light and floating. The LSD experience, usually
referred to as a “trip,” varies widely and is unpredictable.
Individual reactions to the drug can range from ecstasy
to terror, even within a single drug-taking experience.
People who have used the drug before, and had a positive
experience, may have a negative experience if they take
it again.
Two factors that influence the way people feel when
they take LSD are their “mindset”—their expectations,
experience and mood at the time they take the drug—
and the setting, or place where they are. For those who
use the drug, the possibility of an adverse reaction,
or “bad trip,” may be reduced by taking the drug only
when already in a positive state of mind, in a relaxed
environment and with supportive friends.
LSD produces vivid visual effects. Colours seem to
become more intense, halos or rainbows may appear
around objects, and shapes may become fluid in form.
Rapidly changing, brightly coloured geometric patterns
and other images may be seen, whether the eyes are
open or shut. These visual distortions are referred to as
“pseudo-hallucinations” because people know that what
they are seeing is not real and is due to the effect of the
drug. True hallucinations, where people believe that what
they are seeing is real, are not as common, but they can
occur and can be frightening.
LSD affects your senses, mood, thoughts and how you
perceive yourself and the world around you. The drug
can produce a wide spectrum of mental states, from a
sense of joy, wonder and heightened sensitivity, to panic,
confusion and anxiety. Thoughts may seem clear and
profound or race rapidly without logic. Sense of time,
distance and body image may be distorted. Boundaries
between the self and the outside world may seem to
dissolve. Some users report a fusion of the senses; for
example, “seeing” music or “hearing” colour.
How long does the feeling last?
The effects of LSD come on gradually within an hour of
taking the drug, peak at two to four hours and gradually
taper off, with the entire trip lasting up to 12 hours. The
intensity of the effect depends on the size of the dose.
Some users feel let down or fatigued for 12 to 24 hours
after the trip is over.
Is LSD dangerous?
It can be.
Sometimes people who take the drug feel that the
experience gets out of control. They may feel they are
osing their identity or are disintegrating into nothingness.
Such a reaction can lead to a state of panic. They may
try to flee the situation, or become paranoid and frightful
and lash out at the people around them. People
experiencing a dangerous reaction to LSD should be
kept as calm as possible. If their distress continues, they
should receive treatment at a hospital emergency room.
No deaths resulting exclusively from an overdose of
LSD have been reported. However, LSD affects judgment,
which can lead to irrational, sometimes dangerous,
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behaviour. The drug has made people feel that they
could fly, or that they could walk through traffic, and
this has resulted in accidental injuries and deaths. In
some people, LSD may release underlying psychosis or
aggravate anxiety or depression. Long-term psychological
problems may follow a bad trip with LSD. Taking only
a small amount, or low dose, of LSD may not reduce
the possibility of having a negative reaction. One person
may have a bad trip on a low dose, while another may
take a high dose and get through it without distress.
Higher doses do, however, increase the hallucinogenic
effect of the drug.
Because LSD is produced illegally, it varies in purity and
strength. If you take LSD, you can’t be sure exactly what
or how much you are taking, or how it will affect you.
Because LSD profoundly alters perception, it is highly
hazardous to drive a vehicle while under the drug’s
influence.
Is LSD addictive?
Yes, it can be addictive. Some people who use LSD
repeatedly feel compelled to take it. The drug takes
on an exaggerated importance in their lives, leading to
emotional and lifestyle problems.
People who use LSD regularly do not experience physical
withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking the drug.
However, regular use of LSD will produce “tolerance” to
the effects of the drug. This means that if LSD is taken
repeatedly over a period of several days, it no longer has
the same effect. After several days of not taking the drug,
it becomes effective once again.
What are the long-term effects of taking LSD?
One in a series...
The use of LSD can result in long-term effects for both
one-time and regular users of the drug. Possible negative
effects are “flashbacks” of the drug experience, as well
as prolonged anxiety, depression or psychosis. These
reactions usually decrease over time, and end within a few
months after LSD was last taken, but may continue for
years.
Alcohol
Alcohol, Other Drugs
and Driving
Amphetamines
Anabolic Steroids
Benzodiazepines
Caffeine
Cannabis
Cocaine
Ecstasy
Flashbacks are the spontaneous and unpredictable replay
of an aspect of the LSD trip, occurring some time after
the initial effects of the drug have worn off. Visual or
emotional experiences that were originally seen or felt
while under the influence of LSD are re-experienced.
Flashbacks usually last only a few seconds or minutes, but
may happen over and over again. Only some people who
take LSD have flashbacks, but frequent users of the drug
are said to be at greater risk. Flashbacks may be triggered
by smoking marijuana or drinking alcohol, or by emotional
stress or fatigue.
Depression or anxiety may follow a bad trip. Psychosis
may develop after using LSD, although it is thought that
this reaction may be more likely to occur in people with
latent, or underlying, mental health problems.
GHB
Hallucinogens
Heroin
Inhalants
Ketamine
LSD
Methadone
Methamphetamine
Prescription Opioids
Tobacco
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or to download a copy of this brochure, please visit our website:
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Copyright © 2001, 2010
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
A Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization
Collaborating Centre
Fully affiliated with the University of Toronto
Disponible en français.
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